Anti-abortion bill announced hours after blast

By Morris News Service

ATLANTA - The same day bombs went off at a building housing a north Atlanta abortion clinic, a group of conservative state lawmakers announced plans to file legislation outlawing "partial-birth" abortions.

Sponsors of the bill, which is expected to be filed today , said they were signing up supporters moments after two bombs went off at Atlanta Northside Family Planning Services, injuring six people.

"I don't think there is a soul who would agree with the bombing. We would hope the person or persons involved with this be caught, be prosecuted under the law," said Sen. Don Balfour, R-Lilburn, the Senate sponsor of the partial birth legislation.

"This procedure is extreme. This procedure is an inflammatory procedure. This procedure is a gruesome procedure. I don't know how anybody can support it."

While Mr. Balfour and Mr. Crews pledged to end late term, or "partial-birth" abortions, another lawmaker, state Rep. Doug Teper, D-Atlanta, called on state leaders to stiffen penalties against bombers of health facilities.

Politicians and activists on both sides of the volatile issue decried the bombing.

"Anybody who does that has got to be sick in the mind," said House Speaker Tom Murphy, D-Bremen, who has stalled anti-abortion legislation in the House for years.

"This was a blatant disregard for life and violates every principle of the sanctity of human life," said Jerry Keen, state chairman of the Georgia Christian Coalition. "The Christian Coalition has always taken a strong position against the use of violence and for rational discussion in the abortion debate.

"The Christian Coalition of Georgia hopes that everything possible will be done to bring those responsible for this brutal act of terrorism to justice."

Fulton County Commission Chairman Mitch Skandalakis was at the scene when the second bomb went off, and was knocked to the ground but got up unharmed.

"The people who placed the explosive devices in this office building are nothing but cowardly scum," said Mr. Skandalakis, a Republican.

Mr. Keen told reporters a few hours after the bombing he hoped pro-choice activists wouldn't use the violence to tar anti-abortion organizations.

But abortion rights groups said right-wing extremists have made bomb threats a part of daily life.